Image from Dairy Free Pumpkin Pecan Bars
Well, it would seem that the Pumpkin Shortage of 2009 continues on into the holiday season of 2010.
The shelves remain empty. Still.
But I would imagine come November 1st, the canned pumpkin will start to show up again on store’s shelves…just in time for the biggest pumpkin pie fest ever! (Did you know that over 50 million pumpkin pies are baked on Thanksgiving day?!)
I can just see it now…we have all been so deprived of our canned pumpkin…I mean…it’s been 2 years now, right. We’ve all learned our lesson and we know better this time to STOCK UP!!! This could get really ugly…12 people vying for that last can from the holiday shipment. Oy!
Just remember to look for organic variety that may still be sitting on the shelf, perhaps in another part of your grocery store. Of course, you can make your own pumpkin puree, or use baked butternut squash in place of pumpkin puree.
And if all else fails and you are completely desperate to make some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins…you can order organic canned pumpkin puree from Amazon. But you’re going to pay a pretty penny for it!
Just promise me…no elbow throwing or cart shoving when it does show up on the shelves…m’kay?!
Update: If you’d like to know how to cook a pumpkin in your slow cooker, Toni has a great tutorial!
Are you having trouble finding canned pumpkin in your area? Let us know “your area/store’s status”!
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I have checked two different stores looking for pumpkin and finally got a straight answer from the folks at Kroger in Harrisonburg, VA. I was told that due to an outbreak of a pumpkin fungus, they have been unable to get any good canned pumpkin since last year. She had no idea when they might expect more but said there wouldn’t be any pumpkin in the entire area for awhile. I’m so sad, because I just found this delicious-sounding recipe for a pumpkin spice cake….
I live in Fenton, MO near St. Louis. Our local Schnucks, Shop ‘N Save, & Wal-Mart did not have it. Sav-A-Lot had the big can of Pumpkin Pie mix.
i have searched walmart, target, and every grocery store in the area of Janesville, WI and there is no canned pumpkin to be found! I only make my pumpkin cookies a few months a year and usually it starts in September, but this year I can’t! I even work at a grocery store, and we aren’t scheduled to get any in til the end of this month, or the middle of next! THIS SUCKS!!!!
I live in western Maryland, and having a very hard time locating any canned pumpkin. I look in four counties in two states.
There is none here in Northeast NC. I make apple-pumpkin butter in late summer when my apples are ready, and I asked the store manager yesterday if there would be any pumpkin any time soon, and she said we may not get any!
I guess I should cook my apples and freeze them just in case we get some pumpkin later.
No pumpkin here either. I found some Organic Canned Pumpkin but it was almost $4 a CAN! CRAZY!
I could not find any here in Lincoln, Nebraska. I wanted pumpkin so bad I found a pumpkin grower and bought two cooking pumpkins for $1.50 each and baked them and pureed them for pumpkin waffles….so if you’re really desperate, make you’re own! It was really pretty easy and far less frustrating than going to my 5th store to hunt for the canned. Each pumpkin nets about 4 cups.
Since, I just recently started my cooking adventures…I had never used pumpkin but only a few times. Now, I’m dying to try a ton of pumpkin filled recipes! I think it could get ugly at the stores. I never thought about using possibly the organic version…going to have to see if that one is around!!
Checked all the grocery stores . No pumpkin on the shelves either here in Olympia, WA.
It wasn’t until I got a craving for some pumpkin cobbler that I even knew about a shortage. I have looked in almost every store possible here in Henderson, NV I even tried the organic food stores and still no luck finally ended up buying a regular pumpkin and baked, scooped, and mashed myself. Very frustrating when you have a craving.
None in Louisville KY area either. One grocer told me that it is seasonal and would be in the next few weeks, I KNOW he had no idea of the shortage.
Been looking for it for weeks in several stores. Found it today at Walmart and bought 8 cans!
I just stopped by my local (Ithaca, NY) Wegmans and TOPS Markets. Both have Libby’s on the shelf ($1.79). Wegmans has the large Libby’s cans ($2.49) and an organic canned pumpkin ($1.99). I bought a few cans just in case, but if you live in the central New York State area, try your Wegmans store!
I talked to the grocer at our local Kroger in Nashville, TN and he said that they hadn’t been able to get any canned pumpkin since January but they are expecting to get some in next week. He also told me to stock up and buy all I needed for the season then because they do not expect to be able to get enough to last through the season.
None to be found here in Gig Harbor, WA. My kids are craving pumpkin bread so I’ve been on the hunt for it but so far no luck. I remember hearing about the shortage last year but didn’t think it would be this difficult to find any in September. Hopefully, it will arrive soon. I’m going to stock up!
I found some at 2 different Walmart’s in Bowling Green, Ky.
Where do you live?
I can’t find it here either. I’m in Southeast Indiana. I bought a fresh pumpkin the other day and just got done roasting it. I plan to freeze it in one cup increments so that I can make all of my foods that we crave in the fall. One of these is a pumpkin cake I make for Thanksgiving. We CAN’T be without that. So, if this freezing goes over well, I wil be stocking up on fresh pumpkins to feeze.
Illinois grows 95% of the nations pumpkin crop, and it’s been much less wet than the last few summers so here’s hoping the pumpkin shortage will be over
Just bought 24 cans of pumpkin…just in case….had to drive a bit to get it!!!! but at least I prepared!
I live in Douglasville, GA (west of Atlanta) and I found several cans of Libbys at my local Publix yesterday. I only bought 2 cans since I had some stashed away at home from last year. I am trying to not be greedy-but it is hard!
I thought I was nuts for not being able to find canned pumpkin until I read this post! I live outside Washington, DC and tried two grocery stores but no luck. Whole Foods is my next stop. Here’s to hoping they have it!
CANNED PUMPKIN AVAILABLE AT COSTCO. LIBBYS 100% PUMPKIN PUREE!!!!!!
Can’t find any canned pumpkin in Colorado Springs, CO. I may have to start baking Sweet Potato Pie instead, which, I am told, is superior anyway!
I have checked the Food Lion in Bunn, NC and the Walmart in Zebulon, NC…thought I was going crazy til I found this site. When temperatures start to cool down I want pumpkin bread-now what am I supposed to do??? UGH!
This year is nothing to be concearned about. The thing you need to realize about pumpkin is this. Canned pumpking is only produced for a short time ONCE a year. Usually from late August to Mid October/first week of novemeber.
Nestle/Libby’s has all retailers on an allocation, where they dictate how much Pumpkin each chain can have, at what time. The reason they are doing this, is they are still building thier inventories. Everything is good news coming out of thier company right now. They’ve been ahead on when they said they’d be releasing allocations. They released thier second wave nearly a full THREE weeks earlier than they anticipated. However what they are shipping is hard to keep everyone’s panic driven demand filled. You should not see any issues through thanksgiving, the main issue at this time is just getting everyone stocked up. The crop is good, it was ready on time, nestle planted MORE, so they should be in good shape. I wouldnt start worrying about stocking up until after Thanksgiving only if the word then is there are issues with providing for the rest of the year.
But all news is good right now. Seeing as i am a buyer for one of the largest retail chains in the country for this product and have been following it closely since this whole thing started 2 years agot with thier 15oz canning machine going down, you can take my word over any others in here.
So while it may seem not right there hasnt been anythign on teh shelves all year, the isnt anything that could have been done about it. YOu get one shot a year with pumpkin, and if something happens. You’re done for.
In Northern West Virginia we are still experiencing The Great Pumpkin Shortage. It is hard to not be able to make all my favorite pumpkin recipes for fall, so I may have to begin making my own puree. I do appreciate the tip on substituting the pumpkin for butternut squash. I will give that a whirl.
Thanks for the tip!
I’ve been checking and rechecking at our local Kroger regarding pumpkin availability. The manager told me in early spring that there was and will be a shortage until fall of this year 2010. He said the farms had weather problems and the pumpkin crop suffered. I use pumpkin a lot in baking receipes and really have missed it. I hope it gets restocked by October — who knows!?
In the Richmond, Va. area, I haven’t been able to find canned pumpkin for quite some time, so I’ve been buying it online from Amazon.com, Vitacost.com, and Meijers.com. When those suppliers were out of stock, I bought Farmer’s Market canned organic pumpkin from Amazon and Vitacost. It’s slightly watery and lighter in color compared with Libby’s but it is an acceptable substitute. The biggest problem with Farmer’s Market is some of the 12-can cases contained badly dented/crushed cans but both suppliers refunded my money immediately for the damaged cans. The good news is that last Friday, Meijers online finally had Libby’s 100% pumpkin (29 oz. can) in 12-can cases for a little over $27/case plus $7+ shipping. My shipment should be here tomorrow and that’s great because my local stores still don’t have any Libby’s canned pumpkin of any kind.
What is the websites name for this merchant?
I just got home from a Publix supermarket near Nashville TN. They had plenty of Libby’s 100% canned pumpkin on their shelves and the checkout lady looked at me like I was a weirdo because all I purchased was 8 cans of pumpkin. $1.79 a can.
We live in Albany Oregon and have looked all over and cannot find any canned pumpkin anywhere. They raise a lot of pumpkins here for the canneries but guess it goes elsewhere and sold through brokers from back east. All they have to do is store it in a warehouse for a year and drive the price up. That is called an artificial shortage.
None to be found in Central NY stores. There are, however, plenty of fresh picked pie pumpkins at every farm stand. No shortage there. Why take a chance? Grab some fresh pumpkins, process them in the oven or microwave, and toss it in the freezer. You’re one step closer to a fresh pumpkin pie for the holidays.
No canned pumpkin in Fort Worth, Texas! ;(
there are small cans of Libby’s canned pumpkin at Albertson’s in the Denver area, they are 15 0z each for $1.99
http://www.meijer.com/home.jsp
http://www.meijer.com/s/libbys-100-pure-pumpkin-pack-of-12-29-oz-ea/_/R-126665
The above takes you to the Libby’s pumpkin page and it’s in stock. I had no problems with this vendor. Fast shipping, good packing.
Sorry for the triple response. The above link reverted to the home page when I tried it after clearing my cache. Type in “Libby’s pumpkin” (without the quotation marks) in the search box on the main page for meijer.com. That should get you there. Hope this helps. I still can’t find it in the Richmond, VA area.
I finally found Libby’s canned pumpkin (15 oz) at the Harris Teeter on Duke Street in Alexandria, VA; hoping to find it at the Ft Myer Commissary, too. H-T price was $1.79. The pumpkin shortage appears to be over.
As of yesterday Kroger was still out of canned pumpkin. I asked at customer service but was told they did not have a date when it would be available.
I’ve looked at Harris Teeter, Martins, and Krogers – no pumpkin puree in the Charlottesville area that I’ve found. Bought 2 pie pumpkins at a farmers markets and going to make my own.
Alyssa,
I just left Walmart in Rockton, they have 4 cans left in the baking isle on the very bottom shelve. Good luck!
My sister found some at Walmart in Winchester, VA…tons of it. I am soooooo happy! I am currently overseas and will be home around the holidays. I basically sent her on a pumpkin hunt, and she was finally able to find some.
I was told we have no canned pumpkin because of the drought . Its easy to get your own pumpkin and it made out to be cheaper than if I bought the canned !
I work at Walmart here in Michigan and we JUST got canned pumpkin in!! Everyone was asking and asking about it and due to the shortage we did not have any and did not know when we would get any in but FINALLY we got some. As soon as it was put out people were flocking to it and the next day I came it every last can was gone!! Better get it while you can…
Found canned pumpkin on Thursday here in SW Ohio. My mom also found it at Kroger. My daughters and I were so excited that we bought 7 cans. I have already baked a pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread.
Awesome! I live in CNY and have looked at WalMart and Price Chopper, but haven’t checked Wegmans or the new Tops yet…I’ll definitely have to check Wegmans. 8 Months pregnant and CRAVING Libby’s famous pumpkin pie!! yum yum!
I found it at the Food Lion in Huntersville, NC (exit 23 off I77). Had checked at Walmart (Mooresville) and Harris Teeter (Davidson) and nothing there.
None to be found in Fayetteville, AR. and I’m dying to make homemade pumpkin spice lattes!
http://www.frugaldreamer.com/?p=499
they are still pretty good with just pumpkin spice and cream, though.
Im in Minnesota… Haven’t been able to find any anywhere, until this morning… Super Target. Large sized Libby. A little over 2 bucks. They were in an odd spot, sorta near an end cap. I only bought 3, since I didn’t want to be greedy! But I have a feeling I might regret not stocking up a little more!
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